After John Webber (1751-1793) English, "Death of Captain Cook" Engraving. The original watercolor scene shows the moment Cook was stabbed and clubbed to death by native Hawaiians after abducting King Kalaniʻōpuʻu at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, on February 14, 1779. The black-and-white engraving was created by Francesco Bartolozzi and William Byrne and published in 1784. Title bottom middle below image, "Webber Pinxit" printed bottom left. Unframed. 

Overall Size: 8 1/2 x 10 in. 

John Webber was born on October 6th, 1751 in London and was educated in Bern before studying painting in Paris at the behest of his father, Abraham Wäber, a Swiss sculptor. He accompanied Captain Cook on his third Pacific Expedition as the official artist of the voyage, and is best known for his images of Australasia, Hawaii, and Alaska, as well as his painting of the moment Cook was put to death by the indigenous Hawaiians. His watercolor landscapes and his illustrations of a wide variety of Pacific and European subjects were exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1784 and 1792, resulting in his election as associate and later R.A., and his pieces are found in many collections around the world including the Honolulu Museum of Art, the British Museum, and the Museum of the Aleutians. He died from kidney disease at the age of 41 on May 29th, 1793 in his residence on Oxford Street. 

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